


The Reaper

by MissBluebelles



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Assassination, Druids, Hurt Matt, M/M, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Rebels, Slow To Update, Torture, bamf matt, double agent, for once, keith and lance are friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12343731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissBluebelles/pseuds/MissBluebelles
Summary: More than a year ago, the Champion escaped from the Galra Empire. Matt never knew who he was. He only knew that the Champion was the reason for everything bad that happened to him after the escape. He was the reason as to why the Druids picked him up and decided to make him their little pet. Their little tool.Now he is the Reaper, an assassin no one is safe from. Especially if they're working against the Galra.But Matt just wants to stop. He doesn't want to be the monster he considers himself to be. He wants his friend and father back, and then go back to Earth. But are things ever that simple?





	1. Faith Within

**Author's Note:**

> Ahahahahaha :) (No I'm not forgetting my other fanfic, I'm uploading next chapter tomorrow...)
> 
> But in the case of this one: I'm just uploading the first chapter even if I haven't finished the whole fic yet... The outline is done, but I haven't written it.  
> But I wanted this 1st chapter to be out before the 4th season comes out tomorrow :')  
> Dunno if there will be any revelations about Matt, but.... I just figured I'd rather have my story out before anything is confirmed. Even if the whole concept turns out to be untrue (or true, who knows???) I won't feel like it'll have to be redone to match the series if it's already been published!! :D 
> 
> So without further ado, have some assassin Matt!! ;)

Matt tried to lift his head but gave up halfway, resting it between his shoulder and arm where he hung tied to the ceiling. The silence was deafening, but he had slowly become used to it and begun to appreciate it. 

 

Silence meant he was alone, being alone meant no pain other than that of his previous wounds. However, he knew he would not be alone for much longer. The druids rarely let him hang too long before coming back to perform another of their experiments on him. They wanted a puppet, one to control to do their bidding and who would not ask questions or deny their will. They had told Matt he was the perfect candidate, of course, next to the champion. 

 

Because no one was better than the champion. The bloodthirsty warrior who destroyed Myzax and went on to become the reigning champion. He who would not give in even under the most extreme pressure. The druids, if they ever showed any emotions, always seemed to enjoy comparing Matt to the champion for some reason that deluded Matt. But he knew that it was the champion’s fault that the druids had placed an interest in him from the beginning and resented him for it. 

When the rumoured champion had disappeared a year ago, the druids had arrived at the work colony Matt was at and pointed him out to his overseers. He had promptly been taken away from all that he had come to known and was abruptly thrown into a lab where they began to ‘fix’ him as they had called it. 

 

The druids had told him that he would be the ideal subject to spite the champion with, but did not expand further on it. As the months had passed and Matt had been out on his assignments, he had heard rumours about Voltron and its paladins and how apparently the leader, the black paladin, was the former champion now fighting against the Galra. 

 

Hearing that the champion fought back against his captors might have soothed Matt’s heart, had he not become a sort of substitute for him. As it was, the contempt Matt held for the poor man, who, like Matt, had also been used by the druids, would need a miracle to dissipate. 

Matt could understand why the champion escaped, if Matt could, he would have done the same in a heartbeat. But his time in the druids clutches had clouded his heart and judgement when it came to the champion. 

The champion wasn’t at fault in reality, he could not have known what would happen to Matt after all. But that didn't stop Matt from despising him.

 

The silence shattered when he heard the door to the lab open. He observed as two druids joined him but didn’t say a word, speaking out of turn meant pain. 

 

“Get down boy,” one commanded and Matt obeyed. He lifted his legs up, aligning them to his body in a way he would not have been able to a year ago and climbed the rope tying him up with his legs. When reaching the ceiling he unhooked the rope and landed on two legs on the floor. Like a cat he stretched his muscles and got the blood flowing in them again. 

 

The druids watched in glee as Matt kneeled before them, knowing they had a hand in his pliant behaviour. Because they made him break. They enjoyed telling him how easy it had been unlike with the champion, and Matt was aware of it all. He had tried to stay himself, garnering the pieces of himself every day but slowly losing his will. 

A year is a long time. Two years even longer, and that was how long he had been a prisoner. 

 

Matt did not look back at how his life had been before. It hurt too much in the beginning, and then because he knew he would not get it back. And it was easier to deal with the now if he forgot who he had been, instead of remembering and knowing what he had turned into. The old Matt would never harm anyone. The old Matt would never assist dictators and killers. The old Matt would never kill a person. 

But then he had. Losing himself in the process. 

 

The druids had known, that is why they made him do it. To torture him, to guilt him, to break him into tiny pieces, unable for anyone to puzzle together. 

The new Matt did not care as much about the lives of people that he took. Although, there was always the sense of regret from having been a better person. He felt repulse after reaping someone’s life, for himself and for his captors making him do it. But then he had to kill those feelings, or otherwise he would receive punishment on his return. 

Or rather, more gruesome pain. Because they always had something stored for when he came back. 

 

Mostly it was them confirming that he was still in their control, they did not want to lose Matt after already losing the Champion. Emperor Zarkon would not be thrilled to hear about that. 

Confirming his loyalty meant _them_ prodding around in his brain while submitting him to pain and the see whether he fought back or not. He had fought back the first few weeks before his mental barriers came crumbling down. But he got tired of it since they administered more pain somehow when he did. 

 

Other times they would perform another of their experiments on him. However, that occurred less and less since there were less of him to change. 

Matt was pretty sure that if one disregarded his human appearance, there were few things about him that was actually still human after the druids had their way with him the first month. His senses were much sharper; smell, sight, taste, touch and hearing, tingling at the smallest notions. He was also more agile than before, quick on his feet which helped when he was out doing his ‘job’. 

 

Now they had come back to him with another mission. They gave Matt a tablet with information on his target. 

 

This time they wanted him to take care of an old pawn to the Galran Empire who had turned traitor and were about to join the alliance formed by Voltron’s paladins and the Altean princess. Matt started at the mention of the paladins but quickly schooled his features before the druids noticed anything out of the ordinary. He was not to show emotion in front of them. 

His earlier missions had never brought him close to the paladins like the one he was going on now. Apprehension filled him as he realized he might encounter the champion, the black paladin. 

 

“As you see, little pet, this mission will enlighten the paladins of your existence…” one of the druids drawled and Matt’s eyes left the tablet screen he was holding. “I do hope you remember our previous little pet. The Champion, you might have heard that he is now piloting the black lion of Voltron as their leader”. 

 

Matt’s eyes shifted from one druid to the other, waiting for them to continue whatever it was they were about to say. 

 

“You are not to disclose your identity to them at this point in time, I also think you would prefer not to in case you have to confront them. Simply finish your target then come back here,” they demanded and laughed haughtily. 

They left him then, Matt knew by now where to go and retrieve his equipment and headed off half a minute later. He picked up the same knives he had become accustomed to and the same mask that covered the lower half of his face. As he dragged on the armless shirt and matching long pants he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the shiny wall and he frowned. 

He truly looked like a killer dressed all in black, like a reaper. Or at least that was how Matt imagined they’d look like if they existed. 

 

After completing his outfit with a hooded mantle that would hide him in the darkness, he left for the hangers where he knew the same one-man ship that he had used before would be waiting for him. He did not as much as glimpse back to the druid ship when the ship took off, he hated it fervently and wished he could force himself not to go back there when the mission was done. 

 

The planet he was going to was called Hartz. It was a dull place, if Earth was anything to go by. No greenery and the sky was covered in a yellow fog, making Matt wonder why Voltron would even want to go there. It was a desert scenery much unlike the Grand Canyon. Though, Matt did spot some bushes close to the river that went through the Skatzek’s capital in one photographs that he brought up on the ship monitor. 

 

The estimated time to get there was only a few hours with the speed Matt was keeping. 

He sat back in his seat and let go of the control stick, putting the ship on autopilot and snickered a little. He had not figured he would pilot a ship in space when he left Earth with his dad and Shiro, that had been Shiro’s job. Matt had not sat in the pilot seat before being sent on his first mission, but he had an idea of what to do after observing Shiro for months on their way to Kerberos and even before that. Since then, he had gotten a lot of practice and Matt would even dare to call himself a decent pilot by now. 

He just wished he would have learned during other circumstances. Maybe Shiro would have taught him if he asked? No, Matt knew Shiro would if he asked. 

 

A smile escaped Matt’s face at the thought of Shiro and him doing something so normal together after everything they had been through. It was only wishful thinking, but it hurt Matt almost physically. He knew there was no way for him to get back to normal. Even as he was thinking about it, he was on his way to kill someone for turning their back on evil Galra bastards. 

 

“Damn it!” he shouted and hit the control stick, making the ship drop uncomfortably until he got it under control. Who the hell was the Champion and why did his escape have to mess up everything for him?! Matt had tried to look him up the first time he was out of the druid’s arms, but nothing could be found in any register he looked into. 

There had not even been any photos. The only thing he heard in the places he went to, was that the Champion was stronger than most and now the Black paladin, fighting to free the universe from the Galran Empire. 

Matt had then tried to access information on the paladins but only found recorded logs of them fighting in their lions or as Voltron. Nothing on them as individuals. But it did not matter now, he was going to the same place as them now and might even have to face them. 

He would rather not, seeing as they fight against Galra. But Matt would not mind striking down the Black paladin along with the ruler of Hartz. Just for good measure and to make him feel the same pain Matt had to endure for almost a year. 

 

A small signal caught his attention on the dash and he fell out of his train of thoughts. Only 15 minutes to Hartz. 

Time had flown by as he was lost in thought. The planet appeared on his screen and it was indeed a forlorn sight with mostly grey and black stone of some kind Matt was not familiar with. It looked like flint but did not have the same shining surface. He tapped in the coordinates of the capital where the royal palace was, but did not go back to idle thoughts this time as the landscape expanded below him. 

Matt noticed several settlements that were mostly beneath the earth along the steep rocks with small windows facing the precipices. He hoped the palace would be above ground. Otherwise escaping after taking out the ruler would prove difficult to say the least. 

 

Matt scolded himself for not looking up more information on his target and the surrounding area on the way, a mistake that had almost cost his life during his first murder. Getting in was always easy, it was getting out that could turn into a problem. 

 

Quickly arriving at the capital city Matt let out a sigh in relief upon noting that the whole city was above the ground. One less thing to worry about. For a moment he pondered over whether he should dock his ship in the outskirts and walk through the city to the palace or not. He decided against it, realizing that the risks were higher than usual. 

 

The paladins would be present after all. 

 

He enabled stealth mode and slowed down, scanning the immediate area of the palace for a place to land where aliens would not just stumble onto his ship. That would disastrous. A small back alley turned up and he deemed it good enough. When he had landed and shut down the engines he allowed himself a minute of silence to breathe. 

 

As soon as he left the ship, the bustling of the city surrounded him. Despite the fact that it was a town created from rocks of the same colour, the inhabitants had made sure to liven up their homes with small stones in various colours that made them seem more welcoming. 

 

Matt headed towards the palace and arrived there by joining the stream of aliens also heading in that direction. He caught words of ‘celebration’ and ‘paladins’ and wondered if the new alliance had already been created. Or maybe they were having a celebration afterwards? 

He hadn't decided if he should kill the ruler before or after the alliance discussion had taken place. Knowing that if he did it before, the murder might ruin any sort of alliance building between the paladins and the Skatzek causing another ally against the Galra to disappear. And Matt did not want that. 

However, taking him out afterwards seemed like a hassle. Matt flinched when the thought entered his mind. He almost froze on spot at the coldness of his reasoning. 

 

“A hassle…” he murmured to himself, surprised he could despise himself even more than he already did. The endless stream of people dragging him forward stopped at the plaza in front of the palace. Matt blended in quite well with the citizens’ dark, earthy colours with his own attire. He surveyed the scene. 

 

There seemed to be celebrations already on-going, and sales going on at the same time. Just saying the word ‘paladin’ assembled people by the stands to the owners’ joy. Matt chuckled when he spotted two Skatzek children sneaking into the back of a stall and emerge with a bundle of sweets only to be caught by the owner who was apparently the parent of the two. 

 

In the background, the palace stood tall. It was not in the same stone as the rest of the city, having a more sandy colour. It actually reminded Matt a little of a sand castle and for a moment he wanted to know why it was called palace instead of castle before dismissing it as a cultural difference. 

 

Anyhow, he needed to get closer. 

 

Smoothly making his way through the masses towards the castl-- palace, he noticed there were barely any guards patrolling the perimeters. It would make things easier. He felt the castle wall, trying to determine what kind of material the facade was built of. The surface was rough with several bits sticking out, it would be easy to climb up on. 

 

There was only one part of the palace that appeared to be the throne room if one looked from the outside. It was distinguishable by the enormous tower rising up, the tower being the reason as to why it reminded Matt of a castle. 

 

Of course, Matt could only assume it was connected to the throne room. He hoped so, because everyone on the square had been discussing it. That was where the meeting was to take place between Hartz’s ruler and the paladins and their princess. 

Matt drew back into the crowds, there was not much he could do at the moment as it was still fairly light outside. He could join the citizen’s early celebrations, really, there seemed to be no doubt that the alliance would go through. Thinking it over he decided to do that, in wait for the darkness to fall.

 

Matt had joined in on several activities with the inhabitants of the city. He had no money but realized most events did not require it. When he had participated in a game of cards he cheated and won, earning some grumbles but also some kind of food that he chewed down before it got cold. He had fun, but every time his eyes locked onto the palace he remembered why he was there and felt empty. 

 

As nighttime came, torches were lit up around the stalls. There were no less people than a few hours earlier and Matt hoped nobody would spot him when he climbed the wall to the tower. 

Once again he made his way towards the palace, this time trying not to catch anyone’s attention. He noticed there were more guards now, but not enough to worry him. After finding small gropes that he could grab hold of he started to climb up, going slowly in the beginning to get a feel for it before increasing his speed. 

He did not stop until he reached the top of the first wall. From there, he hid in the shadows and got past a few guards. He had to get closer to the tower and Matt was thankful it was attached to the outer wall so he did not have to get down on the ground and climb another wall. 

 

This time it was easier to climb up, and the dark stone made his mantle blend in, almost making him invisible against the wall. When he was halfway up he stopped to scout for openings. Several windows without actual glass, covered the tower. Probably to let in as much light as possible. Matt got to the one closest to him and sat down on the windowsill and finally got to look into the tower. 

 

Inside, it was brightly lit up with candles and torches, and he spotted the throne on the ground further away from him. One could only reach the throne by going up the stairs. Or as Matt would, jump down from above like an angel of death. 

There was a window that would let him closer to the throne where his target was sitting at the moment. However, that window was on the opposite side of where Matt was and he was not very keen on climbing around as well as upwards. But if he jumped from where he was now he might need to run up the stairs which would leave his back open to the guards. 

By coming down behind the throne there would be nothing to attack his back and he would get a better overview of what he was going to get out through. 

 

He shivered slightly, he did not want to do this. Why could not the druids just have left him alone at the colony where he had been working? Fighting and killing, it was just not Matt. Taking a deep breath he began to get around the tower’s roof to the other side while steadily reaching new heights. He could hear them speaking down below but not of what - he assumed it to be about the alliance since that was why they were all there. 

 

Matt reached the window above the throne within a minute and seated himself. He had a full view of the throne room from there and was glad he chose to move from his original spot. He spotted several guards along the walls and only one way out unless he decided to climb the wall again. Which was a stupid idea, it would leave his back defenseless. So no more climbing. 

 

Looking down at the throne he got an overview of his target, who seemed to be addressing a woman with white hair and pointy-ears standing in front of the throne. Unless Matt’s eyes were deceiving him. And he doubted they would, after the druids fixed them. If he ever wore glasses again it would be because of nostalgia, not because he actually needed them. 

 

His nerves had begun to get to him now that the target was just below him, there was no escape for him now and Matt grabbed his knives to calm down and shut off his emotions. 

 

He looked for the paladins, wanting to know what they looked like before possibly engaging them in battle. However, there were none to fit the descriptions that circulated in the cities throughout the galaxy. The only ones present were the white-haired-pointy-eared female who Matt assumed was the paladins’ leader or something, the Altean that Zarkon wanted. He would not kill her, but if she attacked he would fight back. 

 

For a moment he only sat and watched them. Matt could pick up words such as ‘Galra’, ‘paladins’ and ‘alliance’, but he was too high up for his sensitive ears to hear exactly what they were discussing on the ground. He was dallying where he sat and he knew it. The longer he waited the bigger the risk that the paladins would join their friend. 

 

It was as if Matt had jinxed it when he thought about it, for the doors to the throne room slammed open and five figures walked towards his target. 

 

“Fuck”, he swore before he could stop himself. He was sure they were the paladins, they wore the white armour he had heard about with their own distinct colour. Red, Green, Yellow, Blue and… Black. 

 

Matt figured if he stared hard enough he would be able to drill holes into the Champion’s helmet. He wanted to see who was hiding behind it. 

A strange calm washed over him, he realized he did not want to leave until he knew the paladin’s face. But before he could think about his own wishes, he had a mission to complete first. He took a deep breath, then he jumped.

 

The paladins were still walking up to the Altean’s side when Matt fell to the ground, landing silently behind the ruler on his throne. The Altean had turned to them in greeting and the Skatzek sitting on the throne did not hear Matt when he approached like a silent shadow. 

 

It only took a second for Matt to reach his target. A second to reach around the back of the throne, bring his knives to the alien’s throat and gently tug them across it. There was no need to do it with force, druid magic kept them sharp. 

At first it was just a trickle. A bloodtrail trickling down to the gown before it turned into a stream. 

 

It was as if no one even realized what had just happened, the silence in the room was deafening. 

The paladins had frozen in place along with the guards along the walls. The Altean had turned to face Matt and her mouth was shaped in a perfect ‘o’. He almost snickered at the sight, it would have been the perfect scene in a movie if he was the protagonist who had just offed the villain in front of his allies. Except, in this scenario Matt was the villain and he had just killed someone who tried to do something good. 

He was such an awful human being, if he was allowed to call himself that anymore. 

 

 _Great time to despise yourself now Matt._

 

The silence was broken when a paladin, the red one, drew his weapon. 

Matt’s target slumped forward onto the ground with a thud and all of a sudden everyone was in motion. The Altean female who was the closest to him appeared to gather her wits and took a defensive stance though she did not have any weapons. 

The guards were shouting ‘murder’ and were rushing towards him with their spears drawn. They were joined by the paladins, the rest seemed to have activated their weapons as well. Matt held up his knives and let them drop to the floor when the first guard reached him. He was a little surprised the Altean had not approached him first since she was the one closest, but maybe she was not a fighter? 

His action halted the guards, confusing them, but not completely stopping them. It made them drop their guard, however. And when the first one lifted his spear, Matt jumped in close and delivered a sharp jab to the stomach. 

 

The guard dropped down to his knees and fell over unconscious, there was no need to kill them all after all, Matt reasoned. He then proceeded to the next one and threw him across the room, bringing two of his fellow guards down with him. 

None of the guards gave Matt much of a fight, they all seemed to be useless at it in fact. Or maybe Matt was just too good. Barely five minutes could have passed since he first jumped down the window before he turned to face the paladins. For some reason they had held back in the fight and not assisted the Skatzek guards. Instead they were standing still down the stairs to the throne, weapons still drawn. 

The Altean had at some point gotten behind them and was now glaring at Matt with blazing eyes. It stung, having that glare directed at him even though he knew he deserved it. 

 

“Who are you? And why did you attack us?” the Altean demanded to know. Her voice rang strong and did not waver in the slightest despite of what just had taken place around her. Matt picked up his knives from the floor where he had dropped them and cleaned off the blood on the edge with his mantle. 

He wasn't really sure how to answer the question, or if he even should. Although, he knew he shouldn't. But he still contemplated doing it to see how she would react. 

 

At the moment, all he wanted was for the black paladin to take of his helmet. The vizor was covering most of the face and it was setting Matt on edge. 

 

“Hey, answer the princess!” the paladin in blue yelled out. He was holding an energy rifle aimed at Matt and did not seem unafraid to use it. Matt was currently in debate with himself on whether he should just get the hell out of there or demand them to take of their helmets. Was he allowed to do that after killing their new ally? 

He took a step down the stairs, a motion that had all the paladins grip their weapons more tightly. 

 

“Oi, are you going to answer her or are you going to take us down too? I must say, your chances are pretty low on that. We are the paladins of Voltron, we know shit. We can take you down before you do your mumbo-jumbo like the freaking Hulk!” the yellow paladin bellowed. He was the one who seemed most shaken and his grip on his energy cannon was trembling. 

But that didn't matter to Matt anymore, he was more taken aback with what the paladin had said. _The Hulk?_

 

The green paladin’s mind seemed to mirror Matt’s because they-she? asked the same out loud. 

 

“He was throwing around those guards like they were weightless! Like dolls!” the yellow paladin argued. 

 

“Come on Hunk, you’re ranting. Don’t lose focus,” the blue paladin interfered. 

 

“I don’t know about you Lance, but I don’t wanna be thrown around like a rag and lose my lunch. I haven’t had dinner yet and I’m starving.” 

 

Both the green and the blue paladin groaned as if they had forgotten where they were, but Matt’s train of thought was still reeling. Why did they know about the Hulk? Was that not an Earth-thing? How was that… 

 

“Geez, Hunk, that is disgusting,” the green paladin snickered gleefully and Matt could practically feel the ground disappear beneath him. He knew that voice. 

 

He swayed on his feet and took another step down the stair to keep from falling. They all snapped back to focus on him. Matt gaped at them, still trying to place that voice which was so familiar to him. He took yet another step closer to them and all of a sudden the red paladin lunged at him, sword drawn. 

Matt could hear the other paladins yell after their companion, but his eyes did not leave the paladin who was quickly running up the stairs towards him. He let his thoughts drop and bent his knees for the oncoming sword-attack. The force behind the first slash almost brought Matt to his knees but he skillfully parried it with his knives. 

The red paladin did not seem bothered in the least, and instead brought it back before slashing out against Matt’s side. Matt jumped away graciously before leaping close again when the paladin was gathering his momentum and kneed him in the stomach. The paladin grunted and fell to the floor clutching his stomach. 

 

“Keith!” someone yelled and Matt had to get out of the way abruptly as someone shot at him. The remaining paladins were now advancing up the stairs to aid their friend. The black and green in the front backed up by the blue and yellow’s ranged weapons which were inconveniencing Matt, forcing him to keep moving away from the red paladin unless he wanted to get hit by the blasts. He decided to direct his attention at them instead of the two coming closer. 

 

Get the ranged weapon enemy out first before entering close melee his mind supplied. He was better at close-range battle. 

 

With a goal set he maneuvered the black and green paladin, getting behind them with ease and grabbed onto the blue paladin who looked at him with with the same ‘o’ their princess had sported earlier. Matt then flinged the paladin through the air who tumbled into the yellow one who had made to catch him but failed miserably. 

They both toppled over on the floor in a huge mess which was actually quite hilarious in Matt’s opinion. He was not able to feel like that for very long though, as he felt a presence coming up behind him. He swirled around only to get hit square in the jaw with something hard and solid, making him lose his balance. 

He tried to orientate himself quickly and saw stars dancing around him. He fell back as he saw another incoming punch, barely managing to evade it. 

 

This was not how Matt had envisioned the fight going, the black paladin was stronger than he had thought and also quicker. Matt had almost not noticed him before he attacked. But he supposed that was how the man was named the Champion. Being weak and slow would not make that happen. Like he had been. 

 

For a slight second Matt let himself remember the old him who had almost been thrown into the gladiator arena if not for Shiro. He leapt out of the way when the green paladin jabbed at him with a weapon that even smelled like electricity, in other words, he did not want to get hit with it. 

His eyes darted between the green and black paladin, not knowing who to engage first. He did not want to try to take them on at the same time, that would be futile. He threw a knife towards the black paladin to distract him and then jumped the green in the same breath. The green paladin didn't see it coming and fell to the floor with a heavy thump and stayed still. 

 

“You bastard!” 

 

Matt groaned when he saw the red paladin stand up again, apparently he had not used enough strength earlier when he kneed him. 

The paladin stumbled where he stood and tried to take a step closer to Matt but fell to his knees wheezing. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and Matt felt a flicker of remorse soar through him. He looked around at the legendary Voltron paladins who were scattered around the room. 

There was no way they would be able to take out the united Galra Empire with their level of skill. The only paladin still standing was the Champion and he was struggling with his helmet trying to get it off without injuring himself; the knife Matt had thrown at him had hit the vizor and cracked it badly. 

 

The paladin finally pulled it off, and all air left Matt at once as if he had been punched in his gut. His thoughts were running amok when he saw the face of the black paladin. The face of the Champion. 

 

It was Shiro. 

 

Matt drew in a sharp breath and took a weak step towards his friend, afraid his legs would buckle beneath him; they felt like jelly. It was Shiro. 

 

He looked almost the same as the last time Matt had seen him. Except he now had a scar across his nose and his hair had turned partly white. And the arm… 

Matt actually whimpered. It must have been the druids who did it, they had subjected Shiro to their wicked experiments too. Another realization hit him hard, he now knew why the druids chose him to extract their vengeance on the Champion. 

Because he did know him. And yes, if Matt disclosed his identity here and now Shiro would blame himself entirely for what the druids had done. And then he would blame himself and say it was his fault that Matt had murdered all those people. Matt knew he would. 

 

Tears were forming in his eyes and he blinked in a hurry. There was no way he would reveal himself, he couldn't. He had seen the paladins’ faces when he slit the throat of their ally, seen their reactions to him beating up the guards. They saw him purely as an enemy, a monster and thus they attacked. 

 

He wavered where he stood, glad that Shiro were cautious and had not attacked him yet. Matt was unsure whether he would be able to harm Shiro or not. He instantly wanted to puke for even considering it. Shiro was his friend, Matt never wanted to hurt him. 

Shiro had a special place in his heart.

 

 _But you had no qualms attacking his friends? You really are a monster._

 

He shook his head to get the intrusive thoughts out. He had to get out of there now. Before he did something stupid that would compromise his identity. 

 

“Hey! Don’t lose focus!” Shiro barked at him and Matt flinched at the unexpected sound. He started out towards the exit, trying to avoid his old friend who came at him with his arm glowing with eerie druid magic. He felt the hand tear the fabric of his mantle, but Shiro never got a good grip on it and Matt could slink away. 

He did not even bother to look at the other paladins, he only wanted to get as far away from there as he could. 

 

“Shiro! Don’t go after him!” someone shouted behind him. It was that familiar voice again that made Matt’s heart squeeze a little. He risked a glance backwards and immediately regretted it. The green paladin had sat up on the floor and taken of their helmet. The green paladin who was the owner of said voice. 

 

Her hair was short, unlike how Matt remembered it but still the same colour. She was wearing glasses too. _Are those my glasses?_ The distraught question flickered in his mind as he looked at the girl. It was Katie. He was pulled to his senses when she yelled out again. “Shiro you can’t take him on alone!”

 

Only a few seconds had gone by since Matt had let himself be distracted by the voice, _his little sister’s voice!_ and Shiro had advanced several meters in that timespan. But he hesitated when Katie yelled at him the second time and Matt did not let the chance go to waste once more. He disappeared out the grand palace doors into a large corridor without being followed. At first, at least. 

 

As he made his way towards the high wall he heard a ruckus behind him, probably reinforcement that were a tad bit too late. He rounded a corner and slammed into something hard, no, it was soft? It was the Altean princess from earlier who must have left the room at some point during the fight. She must have been called back by the paladins now that he had left and it was safe. 

 

Matt’s lips curled under his mask. So if he left a place, it became safe, even in his own mind. 

He struck out to take her down quickly but grunted in surprise when she parried and jammed her elbow into his shoulder. She was strong, way stronger than Matt would have expected. He backflipped out of her reach and then shot forward again as soon as he had landed, taking her by surprise. 

However, he did not attack again. Matt only passed her when she startled away from him. If he took too long her comrades would join her. Comrades who consisted of people precious to him. He did not want to fight them again, no matter what. 

 

Getting past the obstacle between him and the palace walls had him trembling in relief, knowing that he could soon get off this planet - he only had to get to his ship safely. He almost flew up the wall despite it being pitch black outside.

Adrenaline was pumping through him, keeping him upright as he looked over the plaza where the Skatzeks still were celebrating the alliance that might not go through anymore. They still knew nothing of what had happened in the past ten minutes inside the palace, that their ruler was now dead and his killer was standing above them while observing. 

 

A commotion down at the gates caught his attention, guards were spilling out of the palace with their weapons drawn. They were heading towards the ground below him. 

 

“Stop where you are! If you do not move, we will not shoot!” The voice came from Matt’s right and he slightly turned to face the Altean princess who had the Yellow paladin and Katie behind her. He had idled for too long where he stood.

He cursed internally at his mistake, but self-reflections could be done after he had gotten out of danger. He more felt than heard the remaining three paladins come up on his left. Shiro’s presence alone sent a shiver down his spine. He was surrounded, sort of. Now that he was standing up on the wall he knew he could get away by simply jumping down to the plaza. The guards down there would not be much of a problem since the earlier ones went down easily. 

 

 _Correlation does not imply causation._

 

“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. He knew he would be able to take them down. Matt slowly approached the edge of the embattlement and could hear the paladins raising their weapons. 

 

“I said not to move,” the princess repeated in a harsh voice. She sounded a little breathless which Matt assumed they all should be, they must have taken the stairs and run around to be able to reach him as fast as they did. He looked down at the guards beneath him, only perceivable thanks to the torches that lit the plaza up. 

People had begun to put some distance to the palace, noticing the commotion. Matt could see faces here and there in the crowd that looked up at him. He turned around to face the princess properly and bowed deeply, hand on his chest, like he had seen gentlemen do in movies he had watched together with Katie as children. He even saluted her before thrusting away from the edge and leapt into the air without facing the ground. 

He saw the paladins and their princess rush to watch him fall with looks of shock and surprise on their faces. 

 

They were not the only ones who saw him fall. 

Screams erupted down on the ground and Matt began to turnover during mid-fall to get a better look of where he was going to land. The impact when he landed brought him to his knees, but not for long. The guards were already approaching him, weapons high. But as he had suspected, they were as weak as the other guards in the throneroom. 

There was no need for him to exert himself with taking them out. Instead Matt charged right through the cluster and reached the civilian crowd looking at the spectacle going on. The people parted like the sea in that Dreamworks movie he had seen when he was younger, letting him forward without hindering him out of fear for what he could do to them. 

Matt could see it in their eyes as he passed them all. Sheer terror filled them, and it was like taking another punch to the gut. 

 

 _I’m a monster. I’m evil and a threat… that is why Shiro attacked, I know that._ The dark thoughts almost took over but he did not have time to wallow in self pity, he had to get out of the plaza and back to his ship. Then go back to that godforsaken place. 

 

His ship was still where he had docked it in the alley. He boarded and turned it on effortlessly, the panels litting up. No one had followed him. The guards would never have been able to, and Shiro had probably given up after seeing him jump down the wall. The paladins would not be able to do that, Matt figured. 

He went into stealth mode and lifted off, exiting the city a few minutes later and took off for the safety of space. When he was a safe distance from the planet he tapped in the coordinates to the druid ship, and then finally allowed himself to relax. 

 

His whole body was tense and the moment it began to loosen up, tears began to roll down his cheeks. First it was only a few, but they were quickly joined by others and he soon found himself lying on the floor of the cockpit clutching his arms and sobbing, his whole body shivering and trembling. 

This was too much for him. He didn't want to go back to the druids. He did not want to be sent on more of these missions. Matt wanted to go back to the planet he had just left. He wanted to get back to his little sister. To his friend. His friend whom he, without knowing, had hated for such a long time. 

 

A tremor went through his slight body. Shiro, kind Shiro who was gentle with everyone. Who had been forced to participate and fight in the gladiator arena. Had been forced to kill and maim. And Matt had only hated him… because he thought it was Shiro’s fault the druids took him. But Shiro might not have been in the arena had he not taken Matt’s place and thus saved his life. 

 

Because of Matt, Shiro had also been forced to kill. It was Matt’s fault. He had so many deaths on his hands. 

 

_A monster._

 

Matt only had himself to blame for his predicament. He knew it technically was untrue, it was the Galra’s fault. But knowing that did not make him feel better. _What would Katie think? If she knew what her brother has done?_ The voice inside him asked gleefully. Matt did not know, he assumed she would be disappointed in him like Shiro would. And also think that he is a monster, like the rest of the Galra. 

 

He was unaware of how long he lied there on the floor. But he was abruptly brought to awareness when the ship opened and a druid stepped in. He was already back on their ship. 

 

“Why do you keep us waiting human?” the druid hissed. Matt quickly rose to his feet and only swayed a little which he was thankful for. He did not bother to answer his captor, he never gave the correct answer anyway. Instead he stepped in front of them and began walking towards the lab. 

A fleet thought wondered if he had stepped too far and would be punished for his arrogance, but nothing happened and he kept walking until he reached his destination with the druid behind him. 

 

There was only one other druid inside, but it was accompanied by a Galra who seemed to be of a higher rank. Or at least Matt thought so, judging by the armor and the way the Galra held himself. 

 

“So this is the human with connection to the Champion?” The galra spoke with an air of confidence, sporting a sneer when taking in Matt’s appearance. “Doesn’t look like he could do much.” 

 

The druid beside him grabbed hold of Matt’s arm and dragged him into the lab, under the harsh light. “We have done several modifications to his body without actually changing his DNA. The body is now able to flex beyond what is deemed normal for any human or Galra. It can also withstand heavy impacts and will not be broken as easy as before,” the druid barked, almost snarling at the Galra for belittling their work. It demonstrated on Matt’s body as it spoke, bending his arms and forcing him to the floor. 

Matt hissed at the position, it did not matter that he could do it without breaking anything, it still hurt. A short gasp also escaped him when druid magic forced him further down into the floor, leaving a dent in it. 

 

“I see, impressive indeed. He might even be able to take on the Champion himself?” the Galra inquired with a smirk at seeing the human writhing on the ground in pain. 

 

The druids seemed to hesitate before answering, “That is-” 

 

Matt paled. “No!” he yelled out and flew to his feet. He would not harm Shiro for anything. He huffed and looked around him. 

The galra still stood tall and looked down on him, the druids had raised their arms and Matt could feel electricity tingling in the air. “Not Shiro, please… I don’t… I can’t-” he gasped, interrupted when his body froze. He screamed as the druids’ magic worked their way through his body, almost tearing him apart but not quite before releasing their grip on him. He barely registered the next question directed at him when he was trying to gather himself. 

 

“So you have come to know his identity then. When?” 

 

Matt shook his head, he did not want to give in and hand over information to them. He tried not to at least. But they brought him to their table while he was still trembling and strapped him down on it. 

The last thing he actively heard was the Galra excusing himself, saying he would come back when they had gotten their pet under control. Then pain seared through Matt’s body again. It was agony, he felt like he was on fire while being frozen alive. 

His cheeks were drenched in tears after a while. He did not know how much time had passed before the constant supply of misery ebbed out. He could hear himself desperately begging for them to stop. Begging them for mercy, telling them that he would do anything for it to end. 

His mind was heavy with self-hatred for how easily he fell before them. Then everything went black.

The first thing Matt noticed when he woke up was the silence, deadly quiet silence. A second later he realized he was not alone in his cell where he must have been placed after his blackout. 

The Galra from earlier was sitting on the floor in front of him, legs crossed and he looked deep in thought as he eyed Matt. 

 

“You’re awake?”

 

The silence was broken. Matt did not dare move where he lied in case the Galra would take it as a threat. He breathed out a ‘yes’ but stayed otherwise silent. 

 

“Feel free to sit up if you’d like, I assume it is less than comfortable lying there.” 

 

Matt was confused. This was the Galra he had met earlier accompanied by the druids, but the sneer had disappeared and a more concerned look had formed on his face. Like he cared. 

Matt sat up wearily and stretched his arms as much as he could in the new position. It felt odd, sitting face to face with his enemy on a cell floor… almost as if they were equals. He had not expected it from the other. 

They sat for a while not bothering to say anything, just studying each other. The Galra seemed curious about him, and it unnerved Matt. Since he left for space, he hadn’t received anything good from getting someone’s attention turned to him. 

The silence got to him sooner rather than later. 

 

“What!?” he spat at the Galra who didn’t as much as lift an eyebrow at his defiance. 

 

“You are a very interesting creature you know?” the Galra replied. Matt gaped in surprise. 

 

“The druids kept pressing dark energy into you for quite some time, I was watching from another place. They also kept trying to pry information from you about the black paladin, the Champion I mean…”

 

“I know who he is,” Matt interrupted bitterly. He did not want to talk about Shiro to his enemies, especially not now when anything he said could give the galras an advantage when fighting against Voltron. The galra raised a hand, indicating that he hadn't meant anything by it and the gesture further confused Matt. 

 

“What I wanted to say was that it was impressing, you, watching you endure the pain- or at least not give in to them. You were, after all, quite vocal” The galra cleared his throat. “But there was something I would like to have an answer to. You do realize that everything they do to you is to get to the Champion in the end? The torture, the missions… this is vengeance towards the paladin who escaped. Because they know that if he came to learn what you have had to suffer through is because of him… it will break him.”

 

Matt had been in the middle of shifting into a more comfortable stance when he froze. Hearing the Galra say it aloud confirmed Matt’s own thoughts, Shiro would blame himself for leaving. 

 

“He won’t know,” Matt gritted out between closed teeth, even if the words hurt him. The galra tilted his head and peered at him. 

 

“You seem sure?” he inquired. “What if we decided to broadcast over the galaxy the true identity of the black reaper who has swept over planets opposing the Galran Empire lately? It would be a slap in his face I’d dare to say-” he continued. 

Matt more felt than heard the growl that escaped him when he leapt at the Galra. A second later he was forced to the ground with brute strength, a galran arm almost crushing his windpipe. He tried to fight but to no avail, he was efficiently stuck between the Galra and the floor. 

 

“You monster!” he shouted at the force keeping him down. Unbeknownst to him, tears had begun to trail down his cheeks in his rage. 

 

“I said what if,” the Galra repeated. He looked down on Matt with hard amber eyes. “I am a member of the resistance.”

 

The words had Matt’s eyes wide open, _what the hell?_

 

“Wh- what..?” he stammered, he could not believe the turn the conversation had taken. “The resistance-?” he asked. The Galra nodded and looked behind him as if he expected the druids to be there eavesdropping. 

 

“That is why you are interesting to me, or rather to us. You carry out the empire’s orders without fail which is, in reality, quite bothersome to us,” he grinned a little before continuing. “However, seeing you protect your friend so fervently despite being exposed to…” he shook his head. “It has caught our attention. There is nothing we can do for you at the moment, you are to precious to them for the time being. They won’t risk another of their experiments going missing so soon after the Champion, so it is too dangerous to try and get you out of here. But we think there are things you could do for us, things that could in turn help the paladins of Voltron.” 

 

Matt thought his heart would leave his chest, it was beating that fast. 

 

“Of course, we don’t expect you to _not_ fulfill your assignments even if they interfere a lot with our work. That would only catch the druids’ attention...” the Galra paused for a second and mulled over his own words. “In other words, we would like you as a double agent. When you are sent on missions your are left alone without anyone monitoring you. That is how much they think they think they’ve got you under their thumb. But I could see your spirit hasn’t died yet,” he finished. 

 

The wheels were turning in Matt’s head at a frightening speed. “There is…” he stopped himself. The Galra looked at him in curiosity and Matt gathered his wits. 

 

“If I- if I help you, there is something you could do for me in return,” he said, meeting the Galra’s eyes headstrong. He was motioned to continue. 

“There is another human… who was taken along with me and Shi- the Champion. An older man called Sam… I haven’t heard anything about him since we were separated. He- he’s my father. If I help you, would you look for him for me and if you can… rescue him?” Matt’s voice did not waver and neither did his eyes. He held the other’s gaze firmly. 

 

“Yes.” The word had never meant so much to Matt before and he felt relief wash over him. 

 

“Then I will do what I can for you, whatever that is,” he said in confirmation. The Galra nodded and suddenly stood up. Matt flinched before he could catch himself and felt his cheeks burn, still a bit damp from crying. He was talking big but behaving like a coward. 

 

“Inform us before executing your kill, every piece of information you get to complete your missions from the druids about your target’s whereabouts,” the Galra had adopted a serious tone and expression and did not seem to care for Matt’s reaction. “Not to me, it will be too suspicious if I come back. And do not worry, we will find you.” 

The Galra huffed in exasperation when Matt made a face. “We will find you _if_ you let us, Reaper. Which I presume you will unless you decide not to uphold your part.” 

 

This brought up a thought Matt had held for a fleeting moment earlier, he looked up at the galra towering over him. “What would you have done if I rejected your offer?” he asked curiously. “What if I had gone straight to the druids after this. Or what if I do?” he continued. 

 

A small chuckle left him speechless. “Faith, little one. Simple faith. I could see it in you when you were tortured, the spirit still strong within you. You have not let it die despite what the druids might claim. You make your pleas to them as if it was a game to you, pretending to fall beneath them. And as soon as they lift their spell you rekindle your flame and grow even stronger without their knowledge. You haven’t given up yet, and I hope you won’t. We need all the resources we can acquire to bring down the empire,” and with that, the Galra opened the cell and stepped out. 

 

Matt rose to his feet and watched as the resistance fighter left. He felt odd after hearing his departing words. _I haven’t given up yet? A game?_ He stood still in the same place for a long time. He was still standing when a druid came for him. 

 

“Awake now?” the raspy voice had let out. He did not answer but followed willingly when the druid brought him back to the lab. Because maybe, _maybe_ that Galra had been correct. No. Matt corrected himself. 

Had it been before he met Shiro again and saw his sister it would have been wrong. Because at that point he had given up. But not anymore, not when he knew they were out there fighting to free the universe. He would not endanger them. But he would still fight against them. Fight against them so that he would live to see the day when he would be on their side. So yes, Matt still held hope. And he knew that hope wouldn’t die so easily. 

 

He knew that even as he let the druids strap him to their table and saw them bring out the same tools they always used. 

 

_He knew that he wasn't a monster, and he would not give up._


	2. Following the signs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand here I am. Back with the second chapter... almost 2 months later...  
> So I saw the 4th season when it was released the day after the first chapter, and I LOVED IT. And Matt was awesome x'D Totally not what I had imagined though, but he's not wearing glasses like I wrote, so I got that right!! :D  
> Anyhow, I am writing on the third chapter... and hopefully it won't take as long time as this one did. Have fun reading! :) 
> 
> ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shiro threw his helmet down on the floor in frustration, eliciting a surprised gasp from Hunk who was walking up behind him. He knew that he should not let his emotions get to him but the latest alliance talks had not gotten them anywhere. The Skatzek were terrified after what had happened to their ruler, when he had tried to ally his people to Voltron’s cause. Rumours had spread over the whole city in less than a day, and it had not helped that so many had witnessed the infamous ‘Reaper’ as they called him. 

The team had heard of him before, but the other night had been the first time they had gone up against the assassin. He had been taken aback when the shadow had fallen down behind Kartk, the Skatzek ruler, and never got the chance to register what was happening until the deed had been done. Until then, everything had gone smoothly and Shiro had felt nothing but relief when Allura and Kartk had written the agreement where Hartz joined Voltron’s slowly growing resistance army. It had gone well, and the ongoing ceremony before they signed and sealed the alliance should also have gone through without a hitch. So when the masked hooded figure had landed and sliced Kartk’s throat, Shiro had done nothing. 

He had let down his guard and was now reaping the consequences for it. They would have to rebuild the Skatzek’s trust in them, and the new ruler did not seem remotely interested in forming a new alliance with them if his life would be at risk. Thus, at the moment there was nothing Shiro wanted more than to get his hands on the Reaper and wring his neck, though he would never say that to the rest of his team. They had voiced similar opinions, especially Pidge, and he had to be their voice of reason. 

The assassin had left an impression on them all, even Allura had indicated as much after they had returned to the castle that evening. Bowing and saluting before jumping off a high wall and falling freely was not an easy feat, yet the Reaper had made it seem like it. _Damn it!_

Shiro picked up his helmet from the floor and brushed of any potential dust. He shot an apology to Hunk who smiled at him. 

“It’s fine, I think all of us are a bit on edge after seeing… yeah _that_ and have all our work crushed into pieces like that,” he said. 

Shiro offered a small smile in return, “Yeah, I suppose.” 

The whole team trailed together to the shower room. They had done a performance, as had been requested by their ‘ _new_ potential ally’ as the new ruler wanted to call himself. He had wanted to see what they had to offer despite the fact that he had been there for the whole process when they were dealing with his predecessor. In other words, they had to assemble Voltron and also fight individually. And then beyond that, they also needed to explain why they were unable to protect Kartk. 

It had been hot and sweaty; the climate on Hartz was pretty harsh on the humans. The showers were a blessing to them all, despite Lance and Keith’s bickering on who had been the best out on the field earlier. Shiro just let them, not bothering to care as the water cleansed him. 

They all met up in the dining hall afterwards to discuss the day’s events over dinner. When Shiro arrived, Pidge and Keith were already digging into their servings of green goo. Lance was chatting with Hunk, and Allura seemed to be discussing something with her mice again. 

“Where’s Coran?” Shiro asked no one in particular. 

“He was talking about checking the feeds from the scanners and see if he could find any anomaly from when the Reaper was here. Since he must’ve reached the planet somehow, we might’ve caught him on the castle feeds and then find out which direction he left to,” Pidge supplied, mouth full. 

_Oh._ “I hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted sheepishly. Pidge nodded in agreement. 

“Me either, it was Lance’s idea,” she said and jerked her spoon in his direction. 

“Eh, are you talking about me?” Lance looked up at them from his and Hunk’s conversation. He shot them a smile, “Not like I’m surprised or anything. There are many awesome things you could talk about when it comes to me!”

Keith groaned and Pidge flipped Lance off who only snickered in return. Shiro was handed a bowl of goo from Hunk and sat down beside Allura and observed as the mice performed somersaults for her. 

“You okay?” he asked tentatively. Allura was the one who had the most work to do to make this alliance work, and she had been working tirelessly together with the Skatzek diplomats to find an arrangement they all were comfortable with. 

“Yes, still nothing set in stone. But we are getting there,” she replied as she applauded the mice’s acrobatic skills. “Good,” Shiro poked around in his goo mindlessly. He wanted this to end as soon as possible so they could leave the planet. The rocky scape was not very much fun to look at and had quickly lost its charm the longer they were forced to stay. Lance’s constant comments did not make things better either, complaining about how there are scarcely any greeneries or water sources. They were most likely all worn out, even if Keith said otherwise in front of Lance. 

The team ate together before going separate ways. Shiro and Keith headed towards the training room after they had checked in on Coran who was still working through the castle’s scanner history. They could hear sounds before they stepped into the room and Shiro was surprised to find Lance and Hunk going at it while Pidge looked on while tinkering with something. 

“ _You’re training?_ ” Shiro heard Keith ask Lance incredulously who took the bait and began to argue loudly with Keith, stopping his one-on-one with Hunk who seemed relieved to get some rest. Shiro handed him a towel and a water bottle when he sat down beside Pidge and Hunk thanked him with a grin. 

“I thought you were going to have a movie night tonight or something?” Shiro asked them and joined them on the floor. He observed as Lance and Keith started a match on their own, throwing insults at each other. But he could see that they both seemed to enjoy it, so he did not bother to interrupt them. 

Pidge hummed in affirmation, “Yeah, but then we figured that maybe we should get in some hand-to-hand combat training. After all… it didn’t go so well against the Reaper. And if we ever have to go up against him again, which I assume we will as he is working for the Galra, we should be quicker to retaliate and not just let him beat us up.”

“Heh, there is no way Lance would ever be able to take him on,” Keith sneered while blocking a punch from Lance. “He hits like a five-year old with the coordination of a three-year old.” He grunted when Lance kicked out with his leg and managed to get him in the side. 

“Too bad I don’t kick like a five-year old as well, eh?” Lance said gleefully as Keith held his side and gave a harsh breath. They glared at each other before Shiro stopped them and they all ended up sitting on the training room floor, completely neglecting the purpose of the room. Shiro felt it was his responsibility to bring up the topic they had all been caught up with lately. 

“So I know this has been some irritating few days,” he saw them share an amused look, “-with all the dealings going south because of the Reaper and we practically had to restart it all.” 

Lance groaned loudly and fell onto his back. “That ninja was too good, who the hell is that good?!” he complained. 

“I told you he was more like the Hulk, Lance! That strength does not belong in a ninja!” Hunk argued while gesturing wildly with his hands. Keith murmured something under his breath and Shiro chuckled. 

“Huh? What did you say?” Lance asked, a frown present on his face. 

“He said that Rock Lee is that strong,” Pidge grinned, looking up from her device. 

Hunk shot an incredulous look at Keith. “You watched Naruto?”

Keith pointedly ignored him and looked down on his feet instead. Lance looked like it was his birthday. Shiro saw the blue paladin draw a long breath and open his mouth. 

“Not now Lance”, Shiro interfered before the lanky teenager even got started. 

“But I haven’t even said anything yet!” Lance shouted in disbelief. 

“Keyword being: _yet_.” 

Lance muttered something unintelligible, probably about injustice or the like, but Shiro let it slide. He cleared his throat and got their attention. 

“We need to face it, if we come up against him again anytime soon, we will probably not be able to take him on in one-on-one combat like we tried last time. We have to work together and form countermeasures in advance,” he said seriously. No one raised their voice to interfere and Shiro knew they all had similar opinions. So that was what they were going to do. 

The time went slowly until Allura managed to get Voltron onto the Skatzeks’ good side again and an alliance was formed. Soon after that they departed the planet to scour the galaxy for those in need of help. In less than three weeks they managed to secure two other allies who would fight against the Galra’s reign with them. The ease of it all had them cringing at the thought of the Skatzek ruler who dragged out on time and had made everything much more difficult than it had to be. Lance and Pidge had made some graphic comments on what they thought of the new ruler that Shiro wholeheartedly agreed with, even if he did not necessarily tell them that. It was enough that Keith had laughed at the vivid description of what the ruler probably ate or did, they did not need encouragement from their leader as well. Which he had told Allura when he chastised her for snorting out loud at a particular comment, making Pidge’s eyes sparkle with glee. 

The paladins were all gathered together watching an Earth-movie that Pidge had on her computer and relaxing when the alarm sounded and Allura and Coran summoned them to the bridge. Shiro rushed quickly to get his armor before making his way over to them and was soon joined by the other four. 

“Paladins, we have received a distress signal from a planet not too far from here. We have tried to hail them but without response,” Allura supplied when she had their undivided attention. She looked at them with a slightly worried expression. “This is either a trap or the ones sending it out are incapable of answering due to some sort of external cause. But nonetheless, we cannot leave them hanging without at least trying to reach out” she concluded. 

“Paladins, head for you lions. We are setting out!” Shiro left for the hangars with the rest of the troupe behind him. He entered Black who nudged him in his mind as a greeting. 

“You guys ready for some action!?” Lance’s voice asked through the comms and was met with cheer from Hunk. Then they took off. 

Well out in space they made short work of getting towards the source of the distress beacon. They traced it to a planet covered in green and Pidge’s barfing noises could be heard over the comms, making her dislike for the forestry planet known. 

“Why is it trees!?” she complained begrudgingly. 

“I thought your lion appreciated this sort of stuff?” Hunk asked with surprise in his voice. The question earned him a groan. 

“She might like it, but that doesn’t mean _I_ like it!” 

Shiro let out a small smile but gathered his wits when they came closer to their destination. He told them to be on their guard since they did not know what to expect. The planet had not been documented in the castle’s maps so they had to be prepared for anything. However, when they landed and all of a sudden were surrounded by small reptilian like creatures with huge eyes, Shiro could have sworn they were anything but dangerous. And they were touchy-feely. 

As soon as all the paladins had left their lions to greet the inhabitants of the planet they were swarmed. At first Shiro felt alarmed and almost activated his arm but realized quickly that there was no bloodlust directed at him and the others. 

“Aww, they like to hug!” Lance cooed and Shiro saw him lift on up and cuddle it. The looked like overgrown lizards with humanized faces. No hair though, he noted. And they were wearing relatively primal clothes, no extravagant details or broidery but plain and beige. For the next few minutes the paladins were patted and petted heavily by the small reptilians. It was not bad, but Shiro cringed a little when one got a little bit too intimate and he shoved it away as carefully as he could. 

Lance had turned into a climbing pole and also had two hanging from his arms. He did not seem to mind it though, because he was laughing. Pidge was sitting down and amicably let herself be petted. Her constantly twitching eye gave away her discomfort at the touching, and Shiro felt the need to hide his smile or she would never forgive him. A few meters away from her Hunk stood and reciprocated the friendly touches, patting the heads that were close enough. 

The only paladin who was not crowded by the small creatures was Keith. The red paladin was scowling at any creature who dared come too close to him, but it did not hinder them from staring at him in awe which seemed to make him quite uncomfortable. 

“Paladins, would you be so kind to give us a status report. Have you found the source?”

Shiro straightened when he heard Allura and looked around to confirm the others had as well. 

“Not yet, but we have met some of the planet’s citizens I believe,” he replied. 

“Citizens?” her curious voice come through. 

“Yeah, they’re real cute too!” Lance shouted into his comm. “Just like you princess,” he continued in a voice that was probably an attempt to sound flirty. 

Pidge snorted, “You just compared her with lizards, you dumbass.” 

“Oh,” Lance’s face fell when he came to the realization. “Sorry,” he muttered with a grin. 

“Anyway, we will try to find the origin point of the distress call. You can count on us,” Shiro said finally and tapped out. “Hey, you guys, gather up and we’ll-” He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence by a shriek from Hunk’s direction. 

They all swiftly looked toward the yellow paladin who was holding up one of the creatures with both arms and was staring at it, eyes wide in shock. 

“Hunk, what’s up?!” Lance asked in alarm at the sudden outburst from his friend. 

“It spoke!” was the only answer that came out from the surprised paladin’s mouth. 

“Huh?” was followed by “It can speak?”

“Yes, it can ssspeak, and it can alssso very much underssstand you, thank you very much. Now, I repeat, put me down!” 

Shiro’s jaw dropped. _Oh my_. 

Hunk nearly dropped the reptilian who landed gracefully on the ground and started to fix his robe that had almost come undone. Then he looked up and huffed at them, “I would like to know why you have decsssided to come here.” 

“Wait, can all of you speak!?” Pidge wanted to know. 

The creature looked at her indignantly, “Of course we can, we are not primitive creaturesss without the ability to communicate. Do not belittle usss, sssmall one.” 

Pidge hissed, “I’m not small! You are small!” she countered. She was met with with an obnoxious stare. 

“Are you not smaller than the rest of your companionsss? Is it perhapsss so that you cannot perceive it or anything with that device on your facssse?” 

Pidge blushed furiously at the response and pointedly looked the other way. Shiro looked down on those still surrounding him, they had not said anything to him. One of them took his hand and smiled instead. 

“I would like to extend an invitation to our city for you lot, it is not often we get visitorsss and now we have gotten them twice in a short period of time.” They were all tugged along and Shiro had to watch out as to not step on any of the reptilians. 

“You’ve had other guests?” he wondered and looked at the speaking lizard. 

“Ah, yes indeed. Not very long ago a ship crashed not far from here. We managed to get the pilot and hisss companion out and have sssince let them ressst in our city,” it explained. “The female companion isss unfortunately still unconsciousss from the crash but the pilot is up and running. Too much running if you asssk me, he would do well to find a nice rock sometime and just relax in the sun.” 

“I see,” Shiro commented wryly. He looked at the other paladins when the idea dawned on him. “Think the crashed ship is the one sending out the distress signal?” he threw the question out in the blue and saw Pidge nod. 

“Probably, I mean, until we have seen it we will not know. But the chances are pretty high. I don’t think there is much out here,” she gestured around her, “-that could cause the signal otherwise.” 

Shiro turned to the talking reptilian walking in front of him, “Would it be possible for us to meet this pilot? And perhaps the ship?” he inquired politely, not wishing to upset the lizard again. 

Said lizard glanced back at him and stuck out his tongue. “I asssume it would be okay to meet him. Whether he will let you look at their ship is another thing. He hasss been very sssecretive.” 

Shiro felt his eyebrows rise and saw the same thing on the other paladins’ faces. “Really? In what way?”

“He hasss been avoiding our questionsss and does not want company during bathff time. Mussst be that he’sss trying to hide sssomething.”

While the first reason could be cause of concern, Shiro didn’t really feel the need to read into the other. It sounded very plausible to not want to be accompanied in the bath by reptilians. The thought sent shivers up his spine, it sounded very unpleasant. “I see,” he replied and gave Lance a stern look when the blue paladin made barfing noises. 

It took them a while to get to the city, mostly due to it being underground. Keith had voiced a complaint at having to leave Red and the other lions behind, but Shiro did not see any harm in it. As far as he could understand, the planet was a relatively peaceful one. 

The underground city was made of tunnels running like a maze. They all were careful so they would not lose their guide and get lost in the semi-darkness. There was some kind of light emitted by the walls which apparently, as they were told, comes from the essence of the stone. Shiro had looked to Hunk when he heard this, but the yellow paladin seemed just as confused. 

A ginormous white snake was inside what her people called ‘the Den’, a large dome carved into the stone. The paladin’s guide went down on his knees when they approached her and motioned for everyone else to do the same. 

“The Mother isss sssleeping,” he said in a low voice. “You will have to wait if you wisssh to ssspeak with her.” 

Shiro nodded and replied in the same low tone, “We would appreciate it very much if we could. Perhaps, in the mean time we could go meet your other visitor?” He did not expect the little lizard-man to hiss at him as he spinned around to face them fully. 

“Ssssssh!! You will wake the Mother!” he sputtered out while gesticulating wildly. A unanimous gasp came from the reptilians gathered behind them. 

“Oh, sorry,” Shiro apologized and glanced at the pale snake in front of him. It had not moved when any of them spoke and he seriously doubted it would have even if he had decided to speak a little louder. The snake almost seemed dead to the world, curled around itself. 

No more words were said as the paladins were ushered out of the dome down a rocky tunnel. “We are taking you to our guessst cave. You will meet the Sssteng there,” the lizard confirmed when Shiro asked where they were headed. 

“The Steng?” Pidge asked out loud and met the lizard’s frown with a matching one. 

“Yessss, the pilot. He isss a Sssteng. From the planet Gorga in the Kantaxsss galaxy.” A smirk seemed to work its way upon the reptilian’s face, but Shiro was not sure. “Do you not know of thissss planet? The little one ssseemsss to have a shortage in knowledge.”

The look on Pidge’s face spoke of murder. She looked like she was going to snap the neck of the creature. Shiro put a hand on her shoulder to hold her down and smiled calmly.

“I’m afraid we are all lacking knowledge of this part of the universe. The information available to us is rather outdated, and this is the first time we’re visiting. We didn’t even know if this planet was inhabited or not,” he explained. 

It seemed there couldn’t have been anything worse to say. Their guide looked as if Shiro had offended his very being, and was desperately trying to calm himself while clutching his shirt. 

“Outrageousss!” it whined and glared at him. “There shouldn’t be anyone who _doesssn’t_ know about the Odlik ssspeciesss on planet Orm! We are famousss!! You should be honoured to meet the Mother!”

“Pfft, famous for what? Living under a rock?” Shiro heard Pidge say behind him. He didn’t think she had meant for anyone else to hear it, but if he could hear it, so could the swaying reptile in front of him. The greenish tint to the scales were starting to become a more purplish colour, and its eyes were almost only showing yellow. But before the lizard could have his, eruption was probably the closest description, a high voice boomed through the tunnel, echoing on the walls. 

“Ssssaasssa, are you bringing guestssss?”

The reptilian in front of them froze. He didn’t even twitch when a shadow dropped from the roof, making Shiro and the paladins flinch in surprise. Lance even let out a small shriek. When the other alien came into the light they could see it was just another of the, Odlik, Shiro recalled their guide had said. A female, he assumed, based on her voice and the choice of clothing. 

“Ssssugar, I sssee you are home already,” the lizard man, Sassa, spoke. Shiro was sort of embarrassed he hadn’t asked his name earlier, that was basic politeness. But now he knew, and no one would know any better. 

“Yesss, our hunting trip today wasss mosst fruitful. The children are learning quickly,” she spun in reply and went over to hug the man. After a tentative second, Sassa reciprocated the hug and melted into it. When they drew back, they kept holding hands. 

Shiro cleared his throat and looked at the newcomer. “Hello, I’m Shiro, the black paladin of Voltron,” he greeted her. She blinked a few times before nodding.

“I’ve heard much about you and your fellow paladins. It is an honour that you’ve decided to visit us here in such a remote part of the galaxy. Few journeys out here since it’s rather plain as we are a primitive species,” she said in return. Sassa glowered when she spoke. Her every word seemed to contradict what he had told them the last ten minutes. 

“Is she your wife?” Pidge asked with glee in her eyes. “I like her.”

“I like her too,” Sassa commented irritatedly and glared at her. 

“Now, now, husssband. Calm down. The little one wass jussst curiousss,” the female spoke. Shiro could see how Pidge deflated in the corner of his eye. She had been called ‘the little one’ again. Shiro had to fight down the snort that tried to free itself. The other paladins were not as successful and soon the tunnel was filled with choked laughter.

“Did I sssay sssomething funny?” the female lizard inquired and her head inclined. 

“Ah, no. They just had a lot to process,” Shiro waved her concern off. “They will stop immediately,” he then said and turned to face the Red, Blue and Yellow paladin. They all stifled their snickering and straightened themselves. None of them looked very remorseful for their sudden outburst. 

“I see.” She didn’t look like she believed him entirely. 

“Yes,” Shiro cleared his throat again. “May I ask your name?” He looked at her and saw her exchange a look with her husband.

“My name is Sssugar,” she told him with an amused smile. “Surely you heard my husssband call me asss such earlier?”

 _Oh_.

“I see. I’m afraid that on Earth, our planet, ‘Sugar’ is a term used by those in a relationship to address the other. A pet name,” Shiro explained with a small smile. “That was probably why Pidge,” he pointed at the green paladin, “-wondered if you were married.”

“I sssee, how lovely!” Sugar chirped pleasantly. She released her hold of her husband’s hand and went over pet Pidge’s head, despite being much shorter than the human girl. The action almost set off another round of snickering amongst the paladins. Had it not been for Shiro’s stern look, and Pidge’s absolute glower, they might have done it. 

“Where you on your way to sssee the other vissitorsss?” Sugar asked and turned to her husband. 

“Yesss, we were. Perhapsss you would like to take them there? I would like to go greet our children.”

She hummed and nodded, “Of courssse, Ssassssa.”

Without a farewell, the male reptile turned on his feet and disappeared into the darkness from where they had come. Sugar looked them over as if contemplating something.

“Why are there ssso many of you?” she wanted to know. The question wasn’t aimed at the paladin quintet, Shiro realised, but rather at the gathered crowd of Odlik behind them who had been following them since they were above ground. 

“We wanted to ssse what they were going to do nexssst,” one of them replied, and Shiro almost jumped away in surprise. That seemed to be the case for the other humans as well, Hunk had gone spookily white and Keith made a face at the Odlik. None of them had spoken until now, so Shiro had believed that only some of them, like Sassa and Sugar, could speak. 

Apparently not.

“There isss no need to crowd them. It isss better if none of you come with usss to sssee our other visssitor anyway, you know how nervousss he getsss,” she chided them.

It didn’t take much else before all of their followers scattered and ran off to do their own things. Even if they hadn’t talked before, it seemed silent after everyone had left. Now there were just the six of them standing in the tunnel. 

Sugar waved for them to follow her when she started down the enclosed space, “Thiss way paladinsss, if you follow me you won’t get lossst!” She sounded awfully happy at the prospect that they might get lost. But Shiro started walking after her without mentioning it.

The tunnel opened up the further down they came, until it ended in an open cave. Shiro had to take moment to just look around him when they arrived. While the tunnels connecting the caves only were decorated with the glowing stones, the cave he was in right now was exquisite. Shining stones covered the walls, emitting light in different shades and colours. They seemed to have been placed in a certain order to create an intricate pattern.

“Wow,” he breathed out when he saw it. 

“This is amazing,” Hunk muttered with awe in his voice. 

Even Pidge’s eyes were round with amazement, even if she was more into beauty within technology instead of nature. 

“Who’s there!” a voice barked out. Shiro turned around to see the source but couldn’t find it despite of how well-lit the cave was.

“Welcome to the guessst quartersss,” Sugar commented wryly. “Meet the other visssitor, Jicaxss,” she gestured towards the wall, but nothing was there.

“Ehm? Am I the only one who isn’t seeing anything?” Lance asked exasperatedly and threw out his arms. 

“Nope, you’re not!” Hunk responded immediately. “I can’t see and it’s freaking me out. Is there supposed to be something there?!”

Sugar tsked and glanced at the wall. “Make yourself known, Jicaxss. Thessse people have come after ssspotting your distresss sssignal. 

A shape suddenly materialized on the wall, and Shiro was thankful his quick intake of breath wasn’t audible to anyone but himself. The alien was about his size but bulkier and yellow in colour, probably. 

“A shapeshifter?!” Pidge squealed in delight and clapped her hands together. 

“A Steng,” Sugar said.

“More like a chameleon, I think,” Lance responded. “They copy their surroundings and melt into them. I don’t think he shapeshifted into darkness. And Keith, put your sword down.”

“But what if-!!”

“Put it down man. He’s not an enemy, or we would already been attacked when he was still concealed.”

Shiro looked at Keith; the red paladin had activated his bayard and stood ready to attack. Pidge’s shoulders slumped and she muttered something under her breath about how boring that was. 

“Who are you people?” the Steng demanded to know. Sugar didn’t seem interested in introducing them further, so Shiro straightened his back and took a few steps towards the alien. 

“We are the paladins of Voltron. We spotted your distress signal and came here to help.”

The expression on Jicax’ face turned suspicious, a frown steadily growing on it. “How do I know you’re not lying and instead work for the Galra to find those working against them?”

Shiro was taken aback. “Well, we brought our lions here. You are more than welcome to come and see with your own eyes,” he supplied carefully. 

The yellow eyes that matched the body seemed to lit up. “I suppose.”

“Do you wish to sssee the other asss well? I’m afraid she isss ssstill not consssciousss,” Sugar spoke up. “Before you go, I mean.”

Shiro wished she hadn’t mentioned it, because Jicax took a defensive stance at once. 

“No!” he barked out. 

Shiro held up his hands in what he hoped to be calming gesture. “There’s no need for us to do that until we have proven that we can be trusted,” he tried to assure the worried Steng. Its eyes flickered from him, to the other paladins and then to Sugar who seemed very relaxed although tension was filling the room. 

“Okay,” Jicax replied carefully, still on his guard but starting to relax.

The way back to the lions was quicker than it had been to go to the city. 

“That’sss becaussse we’re going a different route than the one my husssband took you on,” Sugar explained. “He brought you in by the main tunnel. Thisss isss a sssidetunnel.”

The look on Jicax’ face when they reached the lions was a godsend. His eyes had widened comically and he had started to stutter.

“Heh,” Lance snorted. “No Galra friends here!” he seemed very proud of it. 

And when he said that, things turned interesting.

Jicax turned to them, reverence still evident in his eyes, and saluted them. “It’s an honour to meet the paladins of Voltron! I am lieutenant Jicax of the third platoon of the resistance army.”

No one said a word as they all took in the information. Sugar whistled but kept it low. 

“Resistance army?” Shiro asked when he finally got his words back. 

“Yes, sir! We are fighting against the Galra’s reign over the galaxy. We might not be able to deliver the same results as the legendary Voltron, but I believe we’re making a difference for many!” Jicax was still saluting. Shiro was about to let him stand down, but Lance beat him to it.

“Relax man, we aren’t your superiors. You can chill.”

Shiro might not have used the same words, but the essence of it held true so he nodded in agreement. “Lance is right, Jicax. You can stand down.”

While the alien did stop sluting them, he didn’t release his rigid posture and kept his back straight. 

“Good,” Shiro smiled at him. “Now, can you tell me how you and your friend got here? Does it have to do with the resistance?”

Jicax grimaced, “Yes, we were on our way back to our base when we were surrounded by smaller Galra ships. Jeni tried to get us out of there without fighting, but they stayed on our trail. And just as we were about to enter a slipstream, we got hit by an ion cannon.” He shook his head. “Jeni was thrown against the control board and hit her head but still managed to go into warpspeed. Then we ended up crashing on this planet. I was fine but,” he hesitated. “-Jeni still hasn’t woken up yet.” 

“Is Jeni also a lieutenant?” Pidge inquired, her nose twitching with curiosity. 

“No, she is a pilot. That is her role,” the Steng answered with a glance at the green paladin. 

“A fighter pilot?” Lance spoke up.

“Yes.”

“Oh man! That’s awesome!” 

“I see,” Shiro cut in. “Has she been treated?” he wanted to know. If she hadn’t, he could suggest they take her back to the castle and let her rest in a cryopod. Those things could probably work miracles.

“She hasn’t,” Jicax told them. “Not really, the Odlik don’t have any advanced medical healing pods. So I have only been able to give her first aid treatment.”

“That’s still better than nothing,” Shiro praised the man. 

“Thank you sir!”

Shiro squirmed a little, “Please don’t call me sir,” he asked. “It makes me feel old.”

Jicax grinned at him, “Sorry, black paladin. You never introduced yourselves.” 

“Oh, sorry about that! I’m Shiro, the black paladin,” he held out his hand. Jicax eyed it before taking it and shaking it. 

“You’re one of the shakers, huh?” he asked. 

“The shakers?” Lance repeated when he also introduced himself and shook the alien’s hand. 

“Yeah, those who want to shake hands. We’ve got some of those in our ranks. Not many though, seeing as their planet hasn’t been taken over by the Galra yet. What are you called again… humans, right?” Jicax replied.

“You have humans in your army!?” Hunk yelled in disbelief. 

Jicax took a step back as Pidge almost pounced on him, “You have humans!? What do they look like!? Do any of them look like me!?” The fervent hope in her eyes made Shiro’s heart clench for the young paladin. 

“Oh, sorry. I don’t think so,” the Steng apologized and hung his head as if he was ashamed of not giving her the answer she wanted. 

Pidge let go of the alien and sighed, “No, sorry for flinging it upon you.”

“May I ask why you wondered?” 

Pidge looked at Shiro for help, and he stepped up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort. 

“Two other humans, her father and brother, were captured along with me by the Galra when we were on a mission from our planet more than a year ago. We have been looking for them while continuing our fight against the Galra,” Shiro explained. 

He thought back to when he had last seen Matt. Just before the gladiator match. A pang of hurt shot through his heart when he recalled the fear in his friend’s eyes. Shiro missed him so much. And he wanted to know what had happened to him and Sam after they had been separated. 

“I see,” Jicax nodded. “The one I’m acquainted with is quite old. He hasn’t been with the army very long, we rescued him maybe a year ago. But what he’s got in his brain has him climbing the ranks quickly. A remarkable scientist, even if I rarely understand what he raves on about.”

“A scientist?” Shiro’s brows furrowed. He cast a quick glance at Pidge who wore a matching expression. 

Jicax nodded again, “Yes, Dr. Holt has done a lot of things to help the army. He’s indispensable to us.” 

It took a while before the words actually registered in Shiro’s brain. When they did, he completely lost it and scooped up the green paladin in a bone crushing hug as he laughed loudly. 

Pidge squeaked in surprise but returned it with all the strength she could muster. When Shiro let her down again, a huge grin was plastered on her face. Her eyes were a little shiny, but no one commented on it. 

Jicax looked alarmed at the sudden movements and gasped when Pidge grabbed hold of his hands. Shiro noticed he turned a shade greener to match his surroundings, but not much more. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Pidge repeated over and over. She was shaking the alien’s hands up and down desperately. 

“Umm, it was an honour?” Jicax replied weakly. The yellow eyes searched and found Shiro looking at him. “What did I do, exactly?” the Steng asked the black paladin. 

“Dr. Holt is her father,” Shiro answered. He could feel tension seep out of his bones, not disappearing completely, but very nearly. Pidge’s father was alive. That was amazing news!

“Hey, but you said no one looked like her!?” Lance questioned. His arms were crossed and he looked a bit confused as well. “I’ve seen Pidge’s dad, she resembles him!” 

At that, Pidge stopped and looked at Lance. Shiro also thought about it, Lance was correct. Though Pidge might take after her mother more, there was no mistaking that Sam Holt was her father. It was the same with Matt. 

Jicax seemed uncomfortable under the new level of scrutiny he was exposed to by the paladins. Something was off, but Shiro couldn’t really tell what. They were all surprised when Sugar came to his rescue.

“Well, he wasss a prissoner of the Galra, wasss he not? One doesss not get away from their clutchesss without harm. I believe whatever happened to him hasss taken itsss toll on both mind and body.”

The tension that had left Shiro for a moment returned. He looked down on his feet with a scowl. He knew better than any of the five humans what kind of things the Galra did to their prisoners. He had to experience it first hand during his year as the champion. Shiro felt a hand on his shoulder which brought him out of his thoughts, and when he looked up, Keith had come up to him and was watching him worriedly along with the others. 

“You okay?” he asked.

Shiro smiled a little, “Yeah, sure. Just remembered something.” 

No one believed him, but Keith nodded anyway and let go of him. “Remember, we’re here for you.”

“I know,” Shiro forced a laugh. It was bleak, but the effort seemed to relax his friends. 

“Yeah, so anyway…” Pidge seemed to be at a loss of what to say. None of them had expected this. “My dad…?”

The Steng had been looking at Shiro with curiosity when he had fallen quiet but turned his eyes to Pidge when she spoke. 

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be the doctor’s daughter. We haven’t met that often, and certainly never discussed our private lives with each other,” he apologized.

The green paladin shook her head, “No, don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have assumed it.” Despite that the words sounded strained, Shiro knew they were genuine. 

“Where is he now?” Shiro wondered and caught the relieved glance Pidge cast him. 

“I don’t know. Not exactly,” Jicax told them. “We have only worked together on a few missions before. Outside of that, we usually aren’t in the same place. Especially now, I have no idea of what’s been going on. And with Jeni unconscious, there hasn’t been much I’ve been able to do. I can’t fix our ship, and while our distress beacon seems to function, our transmitters don’t. I haven’t heard anything from my allies since the battle.”

“I can probably fix that,” Pidge piped up. “Unless it’s fried. And if I do, will you take us to see my dad?!”

“And if you’d like, we have cryopods aboard our castle. We can put Jeni into one of them,” Shiro offered and saw the Steng lit up. 

“It would be much appreciated!” Jicax sputtered and thanked them profusely, grabbing everyone’s hands and shaking them vigorously. He had a wide smile plastered on his face. 

Said and done. Shiro contacted Allura who was more than happy to help out a fellow enemy to the Galra. Keith took the female alien, an Est as Jizax called her race, up to the castle in Red. 

At first, Lance had volunteered to do it, but the eagerness of his demeanor when he did had Shiro ask Keith instead. Instead, Lance had settled to just mutter and grumble while Pidge and Hunk looked over the rebel space ship under Jicax supervision. 

Shiro observed the three paladins and the the Steng when Sugar came up beside him.

“The Mother hasss awoken. Would you like to ssspeak with her?” she inquired with a tilt of her head. The blackness of her pupils were only thin slits because of the low sunlight filtering through the trees. 

He nodded, “Ah, yes. As I said, we would appreciate discussing an alliance.”

Sugar snorted, if a lizard even could do that. “Yesss, an alliancsse. I doubt we have much to offer asss aid in your battle againssst the Galra, but we’ll sssee.”

“Lance!” Shiro called out to the blue paladin and motioned for him to come over. The lanky teenager had to be careful as he made his way over to Shiro over the grass were Pidge and Hunk had put various appliances from the ship that they needed to check. 

“What’s up, Shiro?” he whistled and winked. “Lady requires me?” he continued and smiled at Sugar who blinked. 

With a groan and a facepalm, Shiro slightly regretted calling Lance over. “Not know Lance,” he chastised the boy. “I’m going to meet the Mother, and you’re coming with me.”

“The Mother? Was that the huge white snake we saw earlier?” 

“Yup,” Shiro replied. He could see Lance shiver at the mention of the snake and was almost tempted to make him go alone. “Come on!”

He started walking alongside Sugar who found a tunnel entrance beside a large boulder on the ground. 

“This will take us directly to the Den,” she explained out loud as they walked down into the semi-darkness. 

Walking downwards without the many Odlik this time around almost made it scarier Shiro noted. With just the three of them, there weren’t as much sound. Thus, they could hear the silence more clearly. 

There was more light when they reached the Den than there had been during their earlier visit. The light from stones protruding from the walls had a pink tint to them as well, not just white like the ones in the tunnels. 

When they stepped into the dome, Shiro stopped at the sight in front of him. The white snake was awake, its head raised from the ground. In front of it, there were several small Odliks chattering away and gesticulating dramatically about whatever it was they were talking about. And the white snake was nodding in response. 

Shiro sneaked a look at Lance when he got over his own shock and grinned when he saw the blue paladin’s jaw hanging. 

“Not so creepy, eh?” Shiro smiled at him.

“Maybe not,” Lance agreed and looked at the quite cute scene sheepishly. The Mother almost behaved like a mother to the small Odlik, letting them rant and encouraging their cheery manners. 

After five minutes of just standing there, however, the scene had become rather tiring. Sugar had disappeared somewhere, and no other Odlik nor the Mother seemed to acknowledge their presence in the Dome. When Shiro had tried to say something, he had quickly been shushed by an Odlik standing close by who had narrowed its eyes at him. 

The blue paladin was fidgeting on his feet, and Shiro prayed to some deity that Lance wouldn’t do anything out of place. He had started humming. But since no one had interrupted that, Shiro didn’t stop him either. 

It was another couple of minutes before Shiro noticed that the speaking Odlik had turned silent. He looked up and saw the white snake looking at him with two piercing eyes. 

“ _Hello humansss, I am sssorry for making you wait. But my little friendsss have told me how you came to arrive here. I hope you didn’t mind too much?_ ”

Shiro almost jumped when the voice reverberated in the dome. He almost brought his hands up to cover his ears before stopping himself. He didn’t want to appear rude. 

Lance seemed mostly fine with the volume, only a slight twitch in his left eye betrayed him. Shiro was impressed by it nonetheless. 

“It’s fine. We didn’t mind,” he replied with smile that he hoped would be considered charming. 

“ _You’re too kind._ ”

“As are you, thank you for agreeing to speak with us. It is much appreciated!” 

 

Thereafter continued the most bizarre negotiations deal Shiro had yet to experience. 

Turns out the Odlik didn’t require that much from Voltron itself, instead they were much more concerned about what _they_ could do for Voltron. But with Allura in his earpiece, Shiro and Lance were able to reach a conclusion with the motherly white snake. 

Despite what Sassa had said about the Odlik earlier, they were a primitive species with barely any contact with other planets. Never had they reached out first to another species either, only been reached out to. And never before had they apparently formed a military alliance with someone. The Mother had been a little worried about it at first, seeing as the Odlik were quite the peaceful little creatures who’d rather take a sunbath than fight. But that wasn’t what Allura had been looking for, she assured the Mother through Shiro.

Halfway during their audience, Pidge, Hunk and Jicax joined their sides. Hunk had turned positively green at the sight of the white snake with its head held high and started swearing. Lance managed to stop him before it became anything too colorful, though Shiro was still worried they’d offended the Mother. 

He hadn’t needed to worry. The snake had tilted her head to the side and only said “ _Peculiar, your yellow paladin that is. Does he always speak so fast? I’m afraid I didn’t understand the words._ ”  
Shiro took a relieved breath when he realized the universal communicators hadn’t translated the cuss words from Earth. Or maybe the Odlik just didn’t have anything they could be translated into?

 

Minutes after wrapping up their conversation with the Mother who had declared she was going to sleep again and hoped she would see them before they left- otherwise she wished them safe travels, Allura contacted them. 

“Paladins, I have good news! Perhaps you could tell our Steng friend that his pilot’s injuries were not as bad as they appeared, she is already out of the pod!” 

“Oh, that’s great news!” Shiro quickly relayed the information to Jicax who turned violet with happiness, pumping his fist into the air and yelling something about how awesome Voltron was. Lance was licking it all up and gloating about the cryopods and the castle. 

“Will you be leaving then?” Sugar inquired from where she was sitting by the wall. 

“We fixed Jicax and Jeni’s ship as much as we could. Some parts were salvageable, some not,” Pidge spoke up. “While I can say that it’s able to fly, I wouldn’t recommend doing it. We didn’t really have the equipment to fix it completely with us.”

“Yeah,” Hunk concurred with a nod of his head. “If we get her back to the castle there is more we can do. But we can’t really leave Jicax and Jeni here with the ship if we want their help to reach the resistance army.” 

“Thanks mate,” Jicax grumbled with a glare at the yellow paladin that didn’t contain an ounce of malice in it. It was all in good humour, Hunk even laughed.

“So, why waste time? Let’s get back to the castle and go get the Pidgeon’s dad!” Lance cheered and made a fistpunch in the air. 

“Lance, if I wasn’t so happy, I’d totally crush you for calling me that!” Pidge said coolly, but was betrayed by the blinding smile on her face. For a second, Shiro almost thought he saw Matt when he looked at her sparkling eyes. When Matt was happy, he would also put on a smile like hers, and his eyes always seemed brighter. Shiro laughed and patted her head which had the same bird nest as Matt. He hadn’t thought about that before. 

“No crushing. But I agree with Lance. There is no time like now, let us return.” Shiro locked eyes with Sugar, “Would you convey our farewells to the Mother? As she suspected, we are leaving before she woke up.”

“Yesss, of courssse paladinsss,” the alien replied with a hiss and a grin. “The exssit isss that way,” she pointed at the tunnel but made no move to go there.

“Oh, you won’t come with us?” Pidge asked. She looked a bit disappointed.

Sugar shook her head, “I’m afraid not. I have been away from my husssband for far too long. I misss him,” she responded. “Until our journeysss crossesss pathss again,” she raised her hand into the air and swept it in a rainbow motion, then she turned and took off.

“Whoa, just like in Pocahontas,” Lance joked. “Except she didn’t run off immediately afterwards.”

“I think it’s some kind of thing amongst the Odlik,” Jicax supplied. “I saw them do it every time someone left. It means bad luck to continue the conversation after bidding someone goodbye, it’s an omen. So many just run off after saying it.” 

“Maybe we should do the same then?” Shiro suggested. Pidge wasn’t the only one who nodded eagerly. They were probably all wanting to get above ground again and take off. Sure, glowing stones in the walls was an interesting phenomena, but Shiro appreciated real light just as much. Or the artificial light in the castle. He’d take either of those before glowing stones. 

 

With Lance’s help, Hunk towed the broken spaceship Jicax and Jeni had back to the castle. The Steng got the honour to travel with the green paladin who probably drilled him with questions if Shiro knew her right. It didn’t take them long, and soon they were greeted by Keith in the hangars who seemed to be sulking for having been forced to go earlier than them.

“How’s she doing?” Shiro asked Keith for Jicax’ sake as they headed towards the medbay. 

“She’s fine. Wasn’t really anything much according to Coran, he had her in a pod for a varga or so and then she was fine,” Keith muttered, throwing a glance at the still purple Steng who was taking in the castle with awe in his eyes. They soon reached their destination, and Shiro pressed the button to the door. In that moment, a voice pierced the air.

“Lieutenant Jicax! Thank goodness, you’re alright!” 

“Jeni!” 

The female alien they had brought to heal in the pod came rushing towards them when the doors to the medical bay opened for them. It was a touching moment when the two saw each other. Shiro didn’t blame them, the last time they were conscious at the same time had been during battle. They would need to reassure themselves that the other was in good health. 

He raised a hand in greeting to Coran who was standing by the scanners wearing a fond smile. The Altean acknowledged it with a cheery wave back. 

When Jeni faced them properly, Shiro noticed she had hooves instead of feet. 

That was a rather unusual feature, he was surprised he hadn’t seen it earlier when Keith left with her. Was he losing focus? The thought rattled him. But Jeni’s movement didn’t really give her having hooves away. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Shiro held out a hand to her which she took. 

“I could say the same thing, but that would be like saying ‘like’ instead of ‘love’. It’s an honour to meet the paladins of Voltron,” she replied with a grin. “I grew up hearing stories about the legendary force. Knowing you exist and fight for the Universe's freedom is like something from a dream.”

“Oh honey, I’m _everyone’s_ dream~” Lance cut in with a smooth voice and shoved Shiro to the side in favour of shaking her hand too. A couple of groans were heard and Keith swatted the back of Lance’s head. 

Jeni seemed mostly confused, not really comprehending the human’s way of flirting and slowly took a step back. “I see? Am I still asleep?” she looked at Jicax who quickly shook his head.

“No, sorry about that,” Shiro apologized. He glared sternly at Lance who shrank back a little behind Keith. “Lance sometimes say things before thinking them through,” he explained with an exasperated sigh. “He doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“I understand,” Jeni nodded. “Is that a common thing where you come from?”

“We come from Earth,” Shiro said. “And yes, it happens. But Lance knows that this isn’t really the best of times for it.” He looked at the blue paladin who, in turn, looked really down from the reprimand. Shiro sighed and smiled a little, “But I suppose it’s a very Lance-thing, to do it at any moment at any place. I’d be more worried if he didn’t do it.” 

Lance’s head shot up from where he stood hiding behind Keith, his face lit up by a bright smile. “Awww, Shiro! I knew you li-”

“Lance,” this time it was Hunk who swatted the lanky boy’s head. 

“Sorry,” Lance grinned and didn’t seem to mean it in the least. Jeni and Jicax seemed to relax a little when they saw how Lance was so easygoing about the whole situation. Shiro caught them exchanging glances at each other. He was just about to ask them how they were doing when the doors swished open again. 

Allura stepped inside with her diplomatic face put on. “I see everyone has decided to gather in here. While I suppose there is a logical reason behind it, why don’t we find a more comfortable place? We have a lot to discuss,” she said with an inviting smile while gesturing to the door. She didn’t wait for anyone to respond before leaving. 

“I suppose,” Shiro agreed and followed her with the rest of them in his trail. 

They ended up in the common room, taking up all the sofas present. Hunk disappeared for a while before appearing with two trays holding drinks and some snacks. Though he handed out the drinks to everyone, the big bowl with snacks ended up in Jeni’s lap. “Because she probably hasn’t eaten in like forever,” Hunk had explained. “And that’s no good. You don’t make good decisions on an empty stomach!”

“Hear that Keith? You should eat more,” Lance laughed and elbowed the red paladin who almost spilled his drink. 

“Shut up Lance!”

The usual bickering was a godsend, easily letting their discussion start and flow more naturally. Proper introductions were made and casual chatter followed. It wasn’t until Allura sat back and crossed her leg over the other and cleared her throat that the talk took a more solemn attitude. 

“So, I hear that you are working for the rebellion. Let’s cut this short. I wish to negotiate an alliance with your army. I believe we can do far more against the Galra if we team up than we can on our own.” 

The two resistance fighters glanced at each other, as if they were having a quiet discussion. Jicax was the one who ultimately spoke.

“It would do us great honour to take Voltron to our base camp.” He observed the five paladins for a moment, “And you are correct, with Voltron on our side, not even the Galra stand a chance.” Jicax smiled at Pidge for a fleeting second, “Of course, we also have the green paladin’s father in that camp.”

A soft gasp escaped the girl, and she jumped up from her seat. “When can we go!? I mean, we don’t have anything else to do right now, right!? We have to go now!” The eagerness in her voice was palpable, the hope in her eyes blazing. Not even Allura could deny her wish. 

“Don’t you worry Pidge.” She stood up as well and made her way to Jicax. “We’re going now. Lieutenant Jicax, may I have the coordinates for your camp?” she all but demanded. “We will make a wormhole immediately.”

“Yes ma'am!” The alien rose from the sofa, and they all tagged along when Allura headed to the command centre, with him close by her heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice huh? :) The next chapter will also be from Shiro's POV, and you can expect some Sam Holt in there ;)


End file.
